This invention is directed to amusements and sporting equipment generally, and more particularly to a shuttlecock designed to be struck with the foot, knee, or other parts of the body as well as by paddles and other equipment.
The typical shuttlecock used in badminton is a small plastic piece with a rubber head; however, other larger shuttlecocks have been proposed in the past for play without a racket, see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,886 and 2,911,219, wherein shuttlecocks are disclosed having heads from a series of plastic spring-like portions and paper sheets, respectively. The present invention is an improvement over the prior shuttlecocks because it allows for interchangeable and adjustable springing mechanisms, an adjustable weight for adjusting the shuttlecock's center of gravity, and interchangeable tail portions, thereby providing a shuttlecock which is user-adjustable to allow for various configurations depending on the desired play characteristics.